Guardian Nurses was founded by a nurse who saw a need to champion patients’ right to quality healthcare

Aunt Betty was the inspiration for Guardian Nurses. Founder Betty Long helped Aunt Betty deal with the hospital when her husband was ailing and saw the difficulties patients face in navigating the healthcare system.

Betty Long, RN, MHA, founded Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates after guiding several elderly family members through the healthcare system. She couldn’t help but wonder “What happens to patients who do not have a nurse in the family?”

To test her theory that a Registered Nurse serving as a patient advocate would benefit patients and families, Betty began offering her services for free to friends and word-of-mouth referrals. The response was overwhelming. Betty developed a business plan and incorporated Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates in October 2003. That was 15 years ago, and the company has since grown into a premeire patient advocacy company.

The Guardian Nurses’ philosophy of championing patients’ right to quality healthcare was inspired by the story of Florence Nightingale, credited with being the “Mother of Modern Nursing.” The young British nurse, working in overcrowded hospital wards during the Crimean War, noticed an extraordinarily high incidence of respiratory infections among the soldiers. She took the bold step of opening the ward windows, which resulted in a marked decrease in the infection rate. With that small intervention, the first nurse advocate is thought to have saved countless lives.

In the spirit of “The Lady with the Lamp,” Guardian Nurses Healthcare Advocates nowlights the way through the healthcare mazefor thousands of patients and families.

Guardian Nurses is now in its 16th year of helping patients and families. If you or someone you love is struggling with a healthcare issue, we can help you, too. Email us at [email protected]or call 215.836.0260, option 3.

How Did Guardian Nurses Get Started?

Betty Long saw how hard it is for ordinary people to deal with the healthcare system when she stepped in to help a hospitalized uncle and his wife.